


welcome

by berrycoups



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Barista Jeon Wonwoo, Coffee Shops, F/M, Fluff, Rain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 14:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17061491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berrycoups/pseuds/berrycoups
Summary: a rainy day meeting with you





	welcome

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bxebxee](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bxebxee/gifts).



> lightly inspired by my favorite movie, howl's moving castle. i wrote this story for my one and only becky, so here is something soft, something whimsical, and something sweet with none other than barista jeon wonwoo.

_a rainy day meeting with you_

+

the cafe is almost unnoticeable as first, hidden away so well that you nearly miss it when you try to escape the rain. you run too fast however and trip on a crack in the sidewalk, landing directly on your knees and ripping your brand new stockings in the process. yelling out a big curse in frustration, you bring yourself back up to your feet and look up only to see a shabby, run-down door with a wooden sign hanging above it that read “ _howl’s cafe_ ”.

you squint your eyes in suspicion. the place seems tiny and unkempt, you could almost sense the mold growing within the walls. but the cold rain continues to beat down on you and with a defeated groan, you stomp up to the front door and loudly slam the rickety door open.

the sudden bang of the door startles the barista standing at the front counter. you notice it the moment you walk in when his eyes widen in shock and immediately you feel ashamed of yourself. there was no reason for you to be rude to someone else just because you were having a bad day.

the barista's expression softens when he notices your cheeks reddening. "welcome," he greets you warmly.

“h-hello…” you stutter out of embarrassment and walk closer to the front counter. you try to tame down your hair only to find out that it’s pressed flat against your head from the rain. you sigh deeply, you probably looked like a completely mess in front of this guy but where else could you go in this storm?

you grimace at the mere thought of your ruined outfit and hair as the barista patiently waits for your order. your lips contort awkwardly into what you hope looks like a polite smile and glance up at the menu. your choices are limited on this small black chalkboard because there’s only about a dozen or so options written on the blackboard. your eyes skim the list, reading over the cursive writing cramped within the splintered frame.

“i’ll just have a hot black coffee, please.”

“of course,” the barista smiles gently at you and begins to move towards the coffee machine before turning to ask. “will you be having this here or taking it to go?”

you hesitate for a moment before answering. “for here.”

“i’ll start a fresh new pot right now,” he smiles gently before turning back. you hear the familiar whirring of coffee beans being grounded and turn around to actually get a good look at the cafe.

“do not judge a book by it’s cover,” you mutter silently to yourself.

the place is absolutely beautiful inside. it was by no means pristine and glamorous like most city cafes, but the interior of this pocket-sized cafe brings you immediate comfort. you’re the only customer inside and you sigh in relief, thankful that no one else is able to see you in your drenched state. you close your eyes and breathe in deeply, noticing the mellow scent of coffee along with fruity hints of lemon and apricot mixed in with the harmonious notes of piano playing throughout the shop.

the cafe consists of a small bar stretched from one end to the other, and a messy scattering of armchairs and coffee tables lay throughout the store. every armchair and every table is different, not a single one matching with another in the slightest. however, looking at the shop as a whole, everything fit together so well. and like the menu, the place was packed with odd furniture, but realistically could probably only fit no more than a dozen people.

then your curious eyes turn to study the walls, wondering what other bizarre decorations lay around. the walls were littered with small frames; dozens of them had small painting of animals and flowers, others were line drawings of buildings and a handful of them were strangely blank. you walk around, browsing the walls until you notice a quote squeezed in between two paintings. it was scrawled in black with the same cursive handwriting you saw on the menu.

_a heart’s a heavy burden._

you can’t help but let out a laugh, remembering the exact scene that the quote came from. you walk around aimlessly until you pick a chair closest to the window to sit down. it’s completely worn down just like everything else in this room, but it’s plush and comfy enough for you to sink right into. you feel bad about damping the back of the armchair with your wet blouse, but you’re so nicely snug in and the heater radiated enough warmth throughout the room for you to stop finally shivering.

remaining silent, you choose to stare out the window. the storm continues to fall heavily, heavy drops of rain trailing down the windowpane in streams. your eyes follows the the raindrops racing after each other until you hear someone clearing his throat behind you. you glance up to see the barista standing before you with a steaming fresh hot cup of coffee. he leans down and places it on the mirrored table in front of you.

“you can come up to pay whenever you like,” he says and quietly walks back to his spot at the counter top.

“thank you,” you say in a quiet voice. you’re not even sure if he even heard you but you stare at his back until he reaches the counter and quickly look down at your lap when he turns to face the front again.

you look down and groan in slight annoyance, grabbing at your drenched blouse with a frown. you only wanted to take a nice walk in the park today when the weather unexpectedly changed on you. you never expected to turn up in a place like this, but here you are, cozying up in a beat up armchair all alone in this hole-in-the-wall cafe. you reach for the scalding hot cup with cold fingers, the heat almost piercing through your frigid fingers in a satisfying way. you blow on it a few times before finally taking a sip, and the hot drink slides down you easily, warming up your insides almost instantly.

you let out a sigh of satisfaction and smile against the rim of the cup.

 _this is a damn good cup of coffee_ , you think to yourself.  _maybe today isn’t so bad after all._

you pull out your phone to quickly to check the time and notice that you have twenty minutes left in your break. going back to your office would take about five minutes of walking which gives you approximately fifteen minutes of chill time in this comfy armchair.

heels sprawled out beneath you, you spent the rest of your break time with your feet tucked into the crevice of the armchair. warming up your fingers with the coffee cup between your hands, you stare out the window. you spot a stray cat taking shelter under a trash bin and watch people rushing by hurriedly under their umbrellas. they most definitely did not notice the cafe because not a single person bothered to even throw a glance towards this direction. you grin after taking another sip, feeling somewhat special that you found a secret hideaway spot for yourself.

in a few minutes time, a low ringing goes off on your phone that indicated that your break time was nearly over. you swallow the rest of your lukewarm coffee down in one gulp and rush to put your shoes on. it’s still pouring outside so you knew you had to run back to work without an umbrella.

you grab your wallet out of your bag and walk up to the counter, holding your empty cup of coffee in your other hand. the barista comes out from behind a rusty-looking espresso machine and smiles.

“how was everything?” he asks you.

“the coffee was perfect,” you reply genuinely.

his gentle face lights up at your response and he quietly rings you up. you pull out two dollar bills to pay for your coffee, and add an extra three dollars into the tip jar.

“thank you,” you tell him and turn to walk out the door.

you’re mentally and physically preparing yourself for the cold walk back, until you felt a hand on your arm, halting you in your step. you turn back to see the barista, holding out a small black umbrella to you.

“take it,” he pushes it towards your hands. “it’s a little broken, but it should still help with all the rain outside.”

your hands fumble in trying to grab it, startled by the sudden nice gesture.

“i’ll come back to return this,” you promise him and he only smiles at you once more before you walk out into the rain.

+

the next day, you walk in around the same time as the day before only to see the same barista chatting with someone on the counter. he turns to greet the new customer when he notices it’s you. his eyes lit up as he greets you in the same fashion as he did the day before.

“welcome,” he says with a smile.

you walk up to the front and slide the umbrella across the table to him.

“thank you for lending me your umbrella,” you tell him. he smiles and takes it back from you.

“what can i get for you today?” he asks.

you glance up at the menu above him for a moment only to look back at him and order. “a hot black coffee, please.”

he chuckles a little. “would you like that for here or to go?”

“for here, please.”

he nods almost knowingly and gestures for you to take a seat. you turn gently on your heel to stare at the wide variety of chairs and end up walking to the same armchair you sat in yesterday.

today, however, you’ve brought a book. pulling out a withered paper-back book out of your handbag, you kick your shoes off before tucking your feet in next to you. flipping your book open to where you last bookmarked it, you edge your round silver-rimmed glasses back up the bridge of your nose and start to read.

a soft clattering of ceramic against metal takes you away from your book and you look up to see the barista with his hands folded neatly in front of him.

“whenever you’re ready,” he tells you again and you watch him walk back to the counter again, eyes only dropping back down to the frayed yellow pages until he reaches his friend.

you spent the rest of your break time in utter silence. the background noises of the barista chatting quietly with his friend and the symphonies of violin playing softly from the speakers lulling you easily into the world inside your book. and before you knew it, the alarm is ringing and you unfold your legs out and stretch before putting your shoes back on.

the barista stops his conversation with his long haired friend when he notices you walking up and rings up your bill. you pay for your coffee, tipping the same amount as you did yesterday and thank the barista before heading out the door.

+

it’s been two months since you first entered the shop, and day after day, you found yourself walking back into  _howl’s cafe_. it’s become a daily habit for you to now spend your hour long work breaks inside this modest cafe. tucked between a shoe repair shop and a failing electronics store, the street itself gathers almost little to no attention with its bleak choices of tiny shops.

it’s always quiet, most days you walk in there’s at least one or two other people sitting at the counter, sipping away on their drinks while chatting with the barista. some days, you walk in to find it empty, with only the music playing softly in the background. you always order the same black coffee, and always sit in the same spot, a dark plum colored suede armchair. it’s sunken in, but the armrests are big enough for you to lean on comfortably and you feel like you’ve sat in it enough for it to have molded against your body.

you grew a liking to this place. the exterior of the cafe had appalled you at first, looking so tattered and decrepit, it would have made anyone hesitant enough to even go near it. but now, this cafe became a safe haven for you. you memorized the color and design of every furniture inside, and even what some of the frames held inside it’s four walls.

some days you lean back against the chair and completely bury yourself in whatever book you decide to bring, other days you hunch over your laptop, eyebrows knit together as you type out your 5-page assignments, and once in awhile, you don’t do anything at all. deciding you want nothing more but peace and quiet, you curl up in the chair and sip away at your coffee while gazing out the window for fifty minutes before walking out the door again.

two months you’ve spent inside this whimsical cafe. two long months of you sneaking peeks over the edge of your book or laptop to look at the barista working alone at the counter. the tall, black-haired man with charming eyes concealed behind his gold-rimmed circle glasses, he is always quiet in movement and speaks as little words as possible. the two of you never exchanging any more words than the usual:

“welcome.”

“i’ll have a hot black coffee, please.”

and “thank you.”

your eyes have glimpsed down at his name tag countless times,  _wonwoo_ , written in the same cursive handwriting on a small wooden pin stuck to his chest. you’ve wanted to say his name out loud multiple times, his name itching on the tip of your tongue, but you were too shy. worried about whether or not you’d even pronounce his name properly without stumbling over the two syllables.

however, you’ve spent the the past sixty-one days wondering what it would be to  _actually_  have a conversation with him. and being the first day of december, you decide to pluck up your courage to sit on the counter and talk to him. because as much as you didn’t want to admit, he’s a very attractive man and it’s almost the end of the year, so why not give it a shot?

+

you walk into the cafe, the same time as every other day you walk in, clutching your woolen trench coat tightly around you. the barista greets you the second you enter, almost as if he’s been waiting for you.

“welcome,” he says in his usual pleasant tone.

you smile politely. “hello,” you respond in a soft voice.

looking around, you notice three other customers in the cafe, all of them chatting away while circled around a rusty brass coffee table. your feet almost pull you towards your usual spot working on muscle memory, but you stop yourself and turn back around.

the barista stands there patiently, hands neatly folded in front of him, waiting for you to give him your order even though he knows exactly what you’ll get. you take in a single deep breath and walk over to the second bar stool from the left. he momentarily freezes when you settle into the stool, completely taken back at how you chose a seat at the counter instead of your usual faded armchair.

“one black coffee please,” you hold one finger up as you order.

“of course,” he nods slowly in response. you notice the edge of his lips twitching up but his eyes are still in slight disbelief, so you try to bite down a growing grin because you didn’t expect him to be  _that_  surprised.

he turns his back on you to pour you a fresh cup of coffee and you take off your coat to hang on the back of the chair. he returns shortly after and places your steaming cup right in front you.

“finally ready to join me?”

your heart almost falters at his words. you glance up to see him almost  _grinning_  at you, his hands placed on the edge on the wooden counter top, he leans casually against the counter to face you properly.

“thought i’d try a different view today,” you try to respond coolly and reach down to grab the hot cup within your cold hands.

“it’s about time,” he softly says and you look up to see him gazing at you with gentle eyes.

quietly laughing, your eyes fall down to the pool of dark brown as you take your first sip. you’re racking your brain silently for something to talk about, because like a complete idiot, you didn’t even prepare any interesting topics to bring up for your first conversation with him.

he interrupts your tangled thoughts however with a question, “did you bring in a new book today?”

and you can’t help the way your face perks up, eyes lighting up at the question.

“yes i did,” you state matter-of-factly as you put your hand into your bag to rummage around for the book.

“what’s today’s story about?” he asks.

you pull the heavy textbook out of your bag and prop it up to show him the front cover. “corporate finance,” you respond with way too much enthusiasm for a topic so bland.

“oh,” his face is blank. “uh… interesting choice today.“

“i know, it’s not the most interesting class to take,” you giggle and push the book back into your bag. “but i just started school again, and i’m excited to be learning again.”

“so you’re a student?” he pulls up his own chair hidden away on the side, and sits back with his arms crossed. “i assumed you were an office worker.”

“i’m both.”

his eyes widen a little as he smiles widely. “wow, i’m impressed.” his voice genuine. “juggling both things must be hard for you.”

“it’s tough, but i’m strangely enjoying it.” your lips curl up into a satisfied smile as you take another sip.

he only hums in return, warm eyes still fixed on you. you don’t know what to say with no actual response to work off of, so you look down at your fingers tapping lightly on the side of the half-empty cup. it’s silent for a few moments, and all you hear is the quiet laughter of the other customers behind you, with the melodies of the piano drifting off the speaks and… rain?

you glance over your shoulder to look out the window and notice heavy rain drops streaming down the glass pane.

“it’s raining again today,” you look back to tell him and you mentally face palm, because when in doubt you can always talk about the  _weather_.

“again?”

“yeah…” you take a slow sip of coffee. “like the first day i came in here.”

and he now he’s  _smirking_  at you. “how could i forget that day?”

you nearly choke on your coffee. "that day?"

“a pretty looking girl slams my poor door open and comes stomping in all angry…”

“i-i’m!” you gasp and stutter your words. “i apologize for that! i know it’s late, but i got caught up in the rain that day and tripped right in front of your shop–”

“i know, i saw you fall.” he brushes his bangs out of his eyes with his long, slender fingers. “i was about to run out and offer you an umbrella until i saw you making your way inside.”

“you saw me fall?” your mouth drops open and you groan with embarrassment. “i was such a mess that day.”

“ripped stockings, soaked blouse and drenched hair?” he chuckles. “yes, you were.”

“hey, i know i looked like a mess…” you pout slightly trailing off into your sentence until he stops you speechless with his next words.

“but i’m glad you came into my cafe that day.”

your breath hitches in your throat momentarily and then you let out a high-pitched nervous laugh.

“me too.”

you’re squealing on the inside and your stomach tickles with a strange feeling. you look down at the now empty cup, and that’s strange? when did you finish your whole cup of coffee? you opt to fiddling your thumbs around the handle in silence and the barista is still looking at you. he studies you with an amused look on his face, watching your lashes brush against your cheeks every time you blink, and the way your cheeks are starting to glow brighter with color.

you hear the door creak open behind you and turn to see one of the three customers walking out with his hood up. a cold draft comes swirling in as the door closes shut and you pull the sleeves of your knit sweater up to ball them into the palm of your hands.

“it’s pretty chilly today…” you grumble lowly and shiver when the icy breeze hits you.

the corners of his lips twists up into a grin, watching you pull your sweater higher up your neck and bunch up your small shoulders together. “i’ll be right back.”

you nod your head and watch him disappear behind the large espresso machine, soon enough hearing the sound of milk frothing to your side. your eyes fixate on the patch of dried up coffee at the bottom of your cup and circle your finger around the top aimlessly until you shaken out of your haze when he pulls the empty cup away from you.

you’re surprised to see him place another drink in front of you. a large grey mug of what smells like peppermint hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and white chocolate shavings.

“i didn’t order this,” you give him a look of confusion.

“i know,” he responds. “i’m making a new drink. try it out for me?”

you hesitantly reach over and bring the mug up to your nose for a sniff, and it smells so, so sweet. you brace yourself for a mouthful of sugar and dip down for a gulp and your face scrunches up automatically. the drink is  _way_ too sweet for your liking.

your tongue curls up from the sugariness, but when you glance up to see him watching you, you’re not sure if it’s from all the sugar in the drink or the honey almost dripping from his eyes in the way he looks at you.

“it’s good,” you tell him in a meek voice.

“you don’t have to lie to me,” he chuckles with a wide grin on his face, knowing full well what kind of drinks you like.

“i do!” you insist. “i mean… i prefer black coffee over anything… but it isn’t bad to drink something this sweet once in awhile. you put raspberry syrup in this, didn’t you?”

he lets out a noise of delight and puts his elbows down on the counter, leaning his chin in both palms. “i did, i’m glad you noticed.”

you feel a fluttering in your stomach at the sudden close proximity and gulp down another big mouthful of hot chocolate. you hear him laughing and you open your mouth to say something when he suddenly brushes his thumb over your lip. freezing up instantly at the skin-to-skin contact, you gape at him with an open mouth.

he wipes the whipped cream off his thumb on a washcloth and continues to laugh.

“you had a little something on your face…”

your entire body is burning now, burying your face into your hands as you peer through your fingers watching his eyes crinkle into half-moons with laughter.

he clears his throat when notices you silent, “i’m sorry about that.” he apologizes shyly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

“it’s okay,” you tell him and take another sip of the drink, more careful this time to not get anymore cream on your lips.

“so…” his voice is lower now. “you must be busy with all your school assignments and office work… do you have any time off?”

you hum a little in response, “my schedule is busy but i always make time for myself.”

“do you mind if i took up some of your time?”

“…what?”

“i’d like to meet you,” he says softly, nervous eyes boring into yours. “outside this cafe i mean. i’d like to ask you out on a date, if that’s alright with you.”

your face is definitely bright red now because you can feel it when it suddenly gets too hot for you to be wearing your knit sweater. chest twisted so tightly, you don’t even realize you’re holding your breath in until you let out a long awaited gasp.

“yes,” you barely say in a whisper.

he tilts his head in confusion, leaning in closer to you. “sorry? i didn’t quite catch that…”

you lift your chin up higher and speak in a louder voice.

“yes.” you tell him once more. “i’d like to meet you too… wonwoo…” his name almost ghosting along at the end of your statement.

now it’s his turn to get red now. you watch as the sides of neck and cheeks turn scarlet red and you can’t help but giggle at his reaction. wonwoo blinks in complete silence for a moment before bringing his hands up to cover his face, hiding the wide smile that's stretched up to his eyes.

“oh thank god,” he lets out a deep breath then laughs. “i was so afraid you’d reject me.”

“how could i? you’ve been nothing but sweet to me.”

wonwoo laughs without any reservations now and reaches for your hand, cautiously slipping his fingers through yours. “it’s a little fast but… can i see you tonight then?”

you grab his hand back and nod eagerly with petaled cheeks, looking up at him with a strikingly radiate smile as you answer, “yes.”

+

it’s a small cafe. tucked away so unnoticeably that anyone could have walked right by it without a second thought. but you’re glad to have stumbled upon  _howl’s cafe_  on that rainy day because you couldn’t imagine anything captivating you more than this marvelous cafe and it’s charming barista.


End file.
